The Light Of The Spirit
(Gerald M. Edelman)
"The light of the spirit - How consciousness occurs" Feelings, consciousness, spirit - only neurons firing? Whenever bright new sensational reports on brain research are presented to us, we immediately mentally oppose any findings that we feel would attack our identity as humans. In the article, "Das Manifest", published at the end of last year in the journal "Gehirn & Geist" (Brain & Spirit), it was stated that the neuro-sciences are still far from deciphering the last secrets of human existence - they are, on the contrary, still at the very beginning. But it also stated that brain research and its findings will be of ever increasing importance. The authors of "Das Manifest" see it as the leading science of the 21st century. If that which is going on in our brain is soon to become even more important for each and everyone of us, then everyone should be forearmed - with knowledge. That's what Gerald M. Edelman puts forward in his book "Das Licht des Geistes ? Wie Bewusstsein entsteht" ("The light of the spirit - How consciousness occurs"). Edelman is one of the most internationally renowned neuro-biologists; in 1972 he received the Nobel prize for medicine. Ah, now it's going to get really tough one might well think. Correct. One needs much concentration in order to understand what author Edelman formulates in the preface as the guiding question for his popular science book: "How can subjective impressions, thoughts and emotions derive from the firing of neurons? Many hold that the gap between the two levels cannot be bridged. A scientific explanation must show a causal connection between both areas so that we can connect aspects of one level with experiences in the other." Those wanting to follow these arguments of the neuro-biologists will have to fight their way through sentences such as: "A large part of the basal ganglia, which is made up of input nuclei bound to the cortex, is the stratium, which is composed of the nucleus caudatus and the putamen." This is possible thanks to the extensive glossary at the back of the book in which all technical terms are translated and explained. The reward for the effort is at least a hunch of the origin, the characteristics and mechanisms of human consciousness and an idea of how strongly the individual identity depends on the functions of the brain. And also how research into the subject will influence us during the 21st century. Gerald M. Edelman, "Das Licht des Geistes ? Wie Bewusstsein entsteht", 190 pages, Patmos publishing house, Düsseldorf, 2004, ?24.90.
Resumos Relacionados
- Das Licht Des Geistes
- Understanding Consciousness.
- The Female Brain
- Evidence Of Life After Death
- The Tao Of Physics: An Exploration Of The Parallels Between Modern Physics And Eastern Mysticism
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